Quite the Challenge
by Chranze
Summary: The two get into an argument. Rin is victorious, which leaves Sesshoumaru no choice but to accompany her on a journey full of humorous mishaps, general discomfort, his mother's "advices," and tender moments: pregnancy.
1. Prologue

**Quite the Challenge**

_Prologue_

All throughout 342 years of his relatively short youkai life, Jaken had never been so terrified.

He should've seen this coming. He should've seen this coming ten years ago when his lord saved the human girl as a "test;" he should've seen this coming eight years ago when his lord jumped head first into the deepest abyss of Hell to save the girl; he should've seen this coming six years ago when he showered her with gifts (such fine gifts in fact, that Jaken had mistook them for _courting_ gifts); he should've seen this coming four years ago when his lord, who very much liked to keep a wide territory for his own privacy, gave the girl the adjoining room to his chambers once they had decided to settle in his deceased father's great palace; he should've seen this coming a year ago when his lord announced the girl as his official lady and wife; and he certainly should've seen this coming a week ago when all hell broke loose.

It was seven days ago when the inevitable took place. All the servants from Jaken to the stable boy felt the sudden tension that was taught as their lord's lips when he positively stomped (gracefully of course, since this is their lord they're talking about) out of his wife's bed chambers one spring morning. They had all heard with their acute youkai hearing the muffled "discussions" (which should be understood as but not limited to: lots of shouting, pouting, growling, and the occasional tinkle of something fragile getting disintegrated) that had started behind the closed doors, but had promptly dismissed it as another one of the couple's ephemeral fights and had even started their traditional bet in who was going to win this one (already most votes were for their lady, who had been victorious the last battles more than four times in a row).

They wondered what they were arguing about now. Could it be (unsurprisingly) another case of their lord's jealousy taking cue? Or (unsurprisingly) another case of their lady's restlessness from going through "that time of the month?" Whatever the reason was, nobody suspected this to last any longer than Argument #17, which had lasted half a day, so none of the servants gave much thought. Sure, they would have to endure their lord's uncharacteristically brooding mood and hear the loud snaps of fine bamboo as he gripped his calligraphy brushes too firmly. Sure, they would have to endure their lady's forced, overly bright smiles and shudder as she positively stabbed at her stitchery as if she was skewering someone's (and anybody could guess quite cleverly whose) eyes. But the arguments had always been triggered by a trivial matter and frankly, they were quite entertaining and a good way to earn some quick money for those who wisely chose whom to bet on. Besides, it would always come to an end either when Rin shyly fiddled with his hair after hours of silent treatment or when Sesshoumaru wordlessly coaxed her into accepting his light touches; both conclusions all led to quite a passionate night in bed and a very happy Sesshoumaru.

In a nutshell, most figured that this fight wasn't going to last very long, including Sesshoumaru himself; so it was quite logical that the taiyoukai was flabbergasted when he was roughly shoved out of his wife's bed chamber that night of Argument #31. He found himself suddenly standing in the hallway, having been pushed out of the room the instant he had set a foot in it by his rather determined mate. Once the shock wore off (for Sesshoumaru had never-_ never_ - been pushed by anyone), realization kicked in and he felt his feral side snarl at the impudence and overt objection.

"What is the meaning of this?" he growled menacingly, glaring down at his defiant mate.

"I believe that it's time that we sleep in our _own_ rooms, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin replied with a charming smile.

Sleep in separate rooms? After he had endured grueling meetings with pompous nobility for the past four hours by desperately holding onto steamy night fantasies? Oh, no, he didn't think so.

Straightening visibly and towering over the far more petite, frail figure, he gave a smoldering look that could have scorched a hole right through her. Clawed fingers slowly gripped the wooden frame of the door as he brought his face close to hers. "As your lord and husband, it is this _Sesshoumaru_ who decides the sleeping arrangements," he stated in a dangerously low voice. "And as this Sesshoumaru has had a very tiresome day, he requires solace from his mate."

By this time, half of the servants of the massive castle were all somehow busy in this particular hallway (either wiping an already spotless vase or tediously picking out a splinter from the wooden floor) but their movements ceased to a stop and their ears perked up anxiously to hear the latest part of Argument #31.

"Why, I would simply _love_ to ease your fatigue, Sesshoumaru-sama," Rin gushed with a pout, unfazed by the impending wrath of her lord. But all traces of mirth were replaced by an uncharacteristic scowl as she snarled with equal menace, "But I fear that as I am _indeed_ nothing but a callow _infant_ and rather should just focus on developing my mental _and_ physical assets, like you kindly advised this morning. So if you'll excuse me-" she roughly yanked the door out of his surprised grip- "I'll be heading to bed since I, being an underdeveloped _child_, need some sleep. Good night, Sesshoumaru-sama." And the door was slid shut.

A random third party would have wondered why the inuyoukai didn't reopen that flimsy shoji door again or better yet just crash it down with one blow, but all the witnesses and Sesshoumaru himself knew what stopped him from simply doing so: his indignant pride and his slightly hurt male ego.

It was quite fortunate that there were no dimwits among the castle servants; if there were any who were stupid enough to stay to gawk at what had just occurred, there would have been blood to scrub off the floors. So when Sesshoumaru finally got over exploding inwardly and fuming to a point where his eyes bled crimson, there were no innocent witnesses he could possibly decapitate just for the hell of it as he stalked off towards his private chambers, which had been neglected for so many months.

*~*~*~*

Okay, so Jaken did admit that he had been pretty thick and complacent to think that this argument would be like any other. He - as well as everyone else in the castle- didn't know what had caused this spiff, but he should have noticed that the intensity of Argument #31 was something that shouldn't have been overlooked. He felt incredibly guilty for being so clueless; as Sesshoumaru's retainer and Rin's (quite nagging) uncle-figure, he should have seen this coming and he felt as if it was entirely his fault that his lady had taken an unannounced departure out of anger.

Well, maybe not _entirely_ his fault; after all, it was Sesshoumaru-sama who had argued with Rin, wasn't it?

And although Jaken did feel incredibly guilty, he still didn't think it was fair that he was practically forced to take the responsibility in announcing Rin's disappearance to a rather peeved Sesshoumaru.

"Why me?!" Jaken demanded in a hushed whisper for the fifteenth time. Quite a number of servants were gathered around in the hall leading to the chashitsu _[architectural space where formal tea ceremonies are held],_ apprehensively watching as an elderly human woman firmly pushed a trembling Jaken towards the closed shoji doors.

"Because you are Sesshoumaru-sama's most loyal servant, Jaken-sama," Masako answered back in an equally hushed voice, nervously eyeing the doors before them. "You are also the most brave out of all of us and know our lord the best and-"

"Flattery is not going to help!" Jaken hissed. He dug his little feet helplessly on the finely lacquered wooden floor but Masako kept pushing him forward, closer and closer to the accursed doors. "Why don't _you_ go? You're responsible for Rin's welfare as you are her personal handmaiden! This wouldn't have happened if you had kept an eye on her you-"

"But Sesshoumaru-sama personally asked for you to summon her, so it seems quite obvious that he only wants to see you coming back into the room," the elderly woman argued. "And please, Jaken-sama, be reasonable; a human like me can't go into the lord's chashitsu! Even our lady is rarely called for entertaining-"

"Jaken."

The cold, curt voice from behind the closed doors immediately silenced the hushed squabble of the two. Masako hastily shoved Jaken forward, his beak-like mouth almost crashing into the doors.

"Ha, hai, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken answered in a quivering voice.

"Enter."

With a terrified glance over his shoulder, Jaken audibly gulped and slid the door open just enough for him to slip through.

He made sure to keep his eyes glued onto the tatami mats as he approached his lord in the front the room. All eyes from the six other youkai daimyos seated on the fine cushions seemed to follow his every move.

He made sure that he stalled every moment he could as he bowed deeply in front of his lord for so long that an uneasy silence stretched across the room.

"Jaken."

"Ha, hai, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken instantly answered as he looked up from his bow like he did for the past several decades. He immediately regretted giving into his innate obsequious behavior; the sight of a positively livid Sesshoumaru fuming under a mask of complete indifference was something that Jaken only saw in his worst nightmares.

"Where is Rin?" Sesshoumaru asked, anger smoldered in his voice. Did she really have the audacity to actually disobey him in front of all his guests? He curled a hand around the hot senchawan _[small porcelain cup used for fine-quality steeped green tea]_ hoping that the heat would calm him down.

"Ano... Sesshoumaru-sama..." Jaken started hesitantly. He nervously glanced around and muttered, "Could... Could this lowly Jaken possibly talk to Sesshomaru-sama... Privately?"

The dangerously narrowed eyes seemed to ominously foreshadow Jaken's fate. "That would be rude to my guests," Sesshoumaru calmly replied instead of stepping on the incompetent youkai's head like he felt like doing at the moment. "If the Lady has a sufficient reason for her absence, my guests have the every right to know as they have been deprived of the chance of proper entertainment through her nonattendance."

"Now I will ask again." Jaken inwardly flinched under his lord's furious gaze. "Where is Rin?"

Here, Jaken stole a swift glance at the guests' faces, which impeccably masked their uneasiness at their host's obvious temper. They had a shrewd idea to what was to come after the announcement of the retainer and they braced themselves for it; all the gossip about the Inuyoukai Lord's obsessive love and over-protectiveness of his human wife that spread all throughout the island and even at the mainland was proving to be true.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, my lady is..." Jaken paused just long enough to pray to the unknown gods above that his lord would not be so upset at the news he was about to bring. "Missing."

There was silence. Jaken held his breath and the only reaction that was extracted from the immobile guests was a furtive glance at their host's face. Sesshoumaru, however, remained absolutely impassive; nothing, from his facial expression to the rhythm of his breathing, changed. Noticing a lack of response from his master, Jaken was just stealing a peek at his indifferent master's face when the porcelain cup in Sesshoumaru's grip smashed into numerous pieces with the caustic smell of acid.

"What..Did you say...?"

Four words and one terrifying glance of something crimson were all that Jaken needed to know that his prayers were ignored and that his master was indeed very upset.

* * *

**A/N:** Here it is: the work I promised back in the day when I published that one-shot involving Sesshomaru, Rin, and a rather ugly baby. Working in process and although I was planning to start uploading this only when I had finished writing it, I couldn't resist after reading chapter 471 again; that three-digit number is my lucky charm now. Go Rumiko-sensei woot woot :)

I will update once I succeed in writing my research paper in two days. Please review so I know it's worth continuing this work :]


	2. In which the Argument Tips

**Quite the Challenge**

_Chapter One:_ _In which the Argument Tips_

The winter snow had long since melted away and now the first buds of spring were poking through the damp soil and clinging onto empty branches. Through the open shoji doors, Inuyasha warily watched the two-headed dragon shuffling here and there in the garden, sticking its noses into the snow looking for a green morsel to chew. Even after all these years, Inuyasha was still rather skeptical of whether that fire-breathing scaled dragon youaki really did have a vegetarian diet.

Kagome, however, seemed to be more interested in watching her son and sister-in-law than eyeing Ah-Un. She gently nudged Inuyasha to get his attention and affectionately looked at Rin and Souichiro sharing a cozy moment on the other side of the built-in hearth. The toddler was seated in front of his aunt, happily admiring the rich treats she had brought. Rin watched him with adoring eyes, stroking the boy's furry dog ears poking out from under the dark strands of hair.

"Ne, ne, Obaa-sama, which one's your favorite?" the boy asked, unable to choose which sweet to devour first.

"Hm... This one," Rin answered as she picked out a soft, powdery mochi from the handsomely lacquered wooden box. "See these sakura petals? They're actual petals that have been pressed onto the mochi when they were being made. Say 'ah,' Souichiro."

Kagome watched the two with indulgent eyes. It seemed like it was only yesterday when Rin was still a little girl attentively watching Kaede picking herbs, but now here she was, transformed into an elegant, beautiful lady and humoring her nephew with a box of sweets. Inuyasha, however, was slightly wary about Rin's sudden visit; not only was she missing her usual escort (which usually happened to be a grumbling Jaken or in some rare cases, the silent Sesshomaru) but her smile somehow reminded him of his half-brother's rare smirks which were graced with more menace than mirth. It wasn't the first time Rin had turned to his residence in the village as a haven to get away from an ill-tempered Sesshomaru and cool her own temper down after one of their infamous fights.

"So Rin-chan," Kagome said as she handed Rin a cup of steaming jasmine tea, "how is Sesshomaru?"

Rin accepted the cup and cheerfully replied, "Oh, Sesshomaru-sama is just being his pompous, inconsiderate, pig-headed, demanding self as usual." She gave a bright smile and took a sip of her tea.

A moment of silent shock later, Inuyasha broke out into uncontrollable fits of laughter while Kagome stared at her sister-in-law, dumfounded.

"Now, _that_ calls for a celebration!" Inuyasha snickered jubilantly.

"A celebration of what?" Kagome asked, plainly irritated at her husband's behavior.

"It's not every day Rin openly admits the truth about that jackass," he chuckled, ignoring his mate's sharp glare at his use of language. "We didn't finish that bottle of plum sake yet, have we?"

"No, thank you," Rin quietly intervened. "I don't want to drink."

"Oh, come on, Rin," he insisted as he made to call their maid, "it'll be just one drink. Besides, it's that sweet plum sake you like so much."

"No, thank you," she repeated with a tone that suggested finality of the matter, a trait she had picked up from a certain silver-haired someone.

Inuyasha gave Kagome a quizzical look, but his much keener mate seemed to notice something he had missed. She gave Rin a thoughtful look and was too lost in her own thoughts to respond when the younger woman picked up the conversation again.

"Hm? Oh, I'm sorry, Rin-chan. What did you say?"

"She asked how come we don't live in the hut anymore," Inuyasha said as he accepted a rice cracker from his son's eager hand. "Well, when the chief of the village passed away last month there wasn't anyone to continue his line." He popped the cracker in his mouth and continued. "So he asked me to become somewhat of a temporary leader of this village. I wasn't really up for the task, but the deal came with this house and a few servants and Kagome wanted a place with a garden so Souchiro could-"

Inuyasha stopped short and looked up sharply towards the sky visible through the wide open shoji doors. Alarmed, Kagome followed her husband's gaze and while Souchiro even gave a curious look at his parents, Rin remained nonchalant to their reactions and continued sipping her tea. A moment later, a flash of youki sped towards the house and a powerful aura rippled across the whole garden, startling the birds and shaking the trees free of snow. Sesshomaru emerged from the ball of light, impassive and yet with a menacing air. He marched up to the occupants of the room, his silver hair billowing behind him with the early spring breeze, and stopped directly next to Rin, visibly glowering while his youki crackled around him.

Rin took another sip of her tea.

"Rin." Sesshomaru growled. "Enough is enough."

The woman in question did not answer until she had finished the last of her drink. She laid her empty cup down and looked up towards her mate with an innocently curious look and asked, "Is Sesshomaru-sama here to reconsider?"

The smoldering gold orbs narrowed infinitesimally.

"Rin."

"I'm not going anywhere until you say yes." With that, she pointedly turned her head.

Kagome and Inuyasha stared at the couple, one glaring bloody murder and one still stroking Souchiro's ears. The couple's eyes traveled back and forth from one speaker to another nervously, not knowing which one would snap first. Sesshomaru then decided to finally take notice of their presence without so much of a glance by seething, "Miko, leave."

"Hey, this is _our_ home," Inuyasha growled defiantly, but Kagome on the other hand quickly got to her feet, hastily replying, "Of course, Onii-san."

Sesshomaru was so busy glaring at his wife, he even forgot to make his traditional this-Sesshomaru-is-no-one's-brother-in-law look. Kagome tried to discreetly nudge her husband to get the hint, but failed miserably as Inuyasha just let out a growl and stayed put. Gritting her teeth and making a mental note to give him an earful about this, she instead called for her son.

"Souchiro, come," she said gently, extending her hand towards him. Souchiro vigorously shook his head and clambered clumsily into Rin's lap. Sesshomaru's eyebrow twitched.

"Souchiro!" Kagome sternly said. "Ojii-sama needs to talk to your Obaa-sama."

The boy was being unusually disobedient, but Kagome had expected this; her son and Rin had a special bond that sometimes even made her jealous. Souchiro was always difficult to separate from Rin, seeing that the latter absolutely doted on the child and had more youthful vivacity and understanding of children than his parents. He was usually polite and minded his manners, but when Rin came along, all his previous years of listening to his mother about being respectful to the nobility from the palace flew right out of the window and he became a playful, attention-craving little boy.

Souchiro gave a disapproving frown, his face hidden in the folds of Rin's kimono, and again shook his head. "But Obaa-sama doesn't come over often," he muttered into the silk. His little fists tightly clutched onto Rin's clothing, determined not to let go. Rin's lips curled into a wistful smile as she hugged the little boy back, one hand stroking his hair.

"I'm sorry I couldn't visit more often," she cooed into his furry ear. "I promise to come again soon." She gently dislodged his hands and brought his face to hers. "In fact, I'll come back tomorrow so I can take you exploring the castle gardens. Would you like that?"

Souchiro gave a sheepish smile and glanced nervously at the towering figure before him, whom he had only seen once at a distance during the mating ceremony of his uncle and aunt. He remembered his tall, regal, powerful uncle had reminded him of his own father... But now at such a close distance, Souchiro noticed that his Ojii-sama was indeed tall, regal, and powerful, but also menacing and looked capable of ripping his head off.

Cautiously eyeing his silently seething uncle, Souchiro whispered in a very low voice, intending for only Rin to hear. "Will Ojii-sama hurt you?"

Sesshomaru's brows furrowed so slightly that it was almost unnoticeable, but years of having to cope with such an impassive face had trained Souchiro's parents well enough to know that Sesshomaru was just a second away from snapping. Rin, however, gave no notice and laughed prettily at the question. She whispered something back into Souchiro's ear, and the little boy giggled.

"Souchiro," Kagome said again.

The boy gave Rin one last hug, but it lasted a second too long for Sesshomaru's taste. He moved for the first time he had entered the residence and immediately Inuyasha was on his feet, glowering, with a hand already on the hilt of his sword. Sesshomaru ignored the reaction and bent forward a little. With a firm hand, he peeled the little hands off of Rin's kimono, lifted the boy by the upper arm off of her lap, set him down on the floor, and nudged him towards his parents. Souchiro looked bewildered for being touched by his uncle for the first time and shyly looked at him in curious awe.

"Leave." Sesshomaru commanded simply.

Souchiro scurried out of the room obediently, followed by his mother who was pulling an irritated Inuyasha after her by the ear. Once the sliding doors leading to the open hall were closed under his watchful eyes, Sesshomaru turned his attention back to his mate.

"Rin..." he all but growled quietly, "You were due at the meeting this morning."

Far from looking contrite, Rin picked out a piece of lint from the tatami mats. Suppressing a snarl, he tried again.

"I hope you realize what your absence meant to my guests," he grit out.

"Well, I just supposed _children_ were not allowed to participate in such formal meetings, Sesshomaru-sama," Rin said innocently, gazing towards the garden.

He did not even grimace at her alluding to their latest argument. Grinding his teeth even more, he growled, "You know very well-"

"No, I do _not_ know very well!" she interrupted suddenly as her usually warm eyes glared menacingly at her lord's face. "Because according to _you,_ Sesshomaru-sama, I am nothing but a child who isn't mature enough to know what she really wants!"

To say that he was dumbfounded was an understatement. If he hadn't had impassiveness etched into his very bones, Sesshomaru would have blinked a few times in surprise. His sweet Rin had never snapped (angrily pouted and raised her voice perhaps) so viciously at him before. However, the content of her speech and her unusually disrespectful attitude soon made his eyes flash dangerously.

"Is that what this is about?" he snarled. "From the discussion before?"

"Yes!" the human woman indignantly snapped back. "And it will be what anything is about for the rest of my fleeting, insignificant, mortal life!"

He stiffened for a fraction of a second like he always did whenever she mentioned her humanity, but Sesshomaru was not going to lose this time. No, no, this would never do.

"My dear Rin..." he growled as he leaned forward to tower over her, his blazing eyes piercing hers, "You seem to have forgotten that you are wholly at my mercy and that your fleeting, insignificant, mortal life is entirely _mine_. For that reason, it is _this Sesshomaru_ who has the final say in this matter. So unfortunately for _you_, when _I_ say it must be removed, it will be done so: swiftly and with no objections from _anyone_. Understood?"

Rin did not move a muscle as she defiantly glared back. Her breathing surprisingly remained normal, her usually soft cinnamon eyes hardened with anger and determination. She did not answer.

"We are leaving. Now." Sesshomaru curtly announced. He was about to straighten up and head towards the apprehensive looking Ah-Un when something caught his eye. From the hard brown eyes where anger and hurt battled fiercely for control, a discreet tear rolled down soundlessly.

"...Rin..."

At the sound of his softer voice, her lashes quickly sank down to shield the vulnerability reflected in her streaming eyes.

In moments Rin was crying. Her long sleeves were held to her face, her cheeks streaked with tears that had been absent for many years since she had met him.

Sesshomaru felt that alien feeling of being at loss, which he felt a few times ever since Rin entered his life. He knew how to handle mutiny (it was quite a simple solution: slaughter), he knew how to handle pompous nobility (threats, blackmail, public humiliation, etc, etc.), he knew how to deal with his impudent brother (again threats, blackmail, public humiliation, etc, etc.), and yet he still found himself utterly lost when Rin did something totally unexpected. Like getting mad at him when he threatened the stable boy to "annihilate any chance of continuing the family line" when the idiot pup had boldly given Rin (in front of his face, too!) a bouquet of wild flowers. Or like refusing to speak to him after he had commented how her ink sketch resembled more of a catfish rather than a dragon she had been trying to draw (Sesshomaru still puzzled over that even after two years; she had asked him for his _honest_ opinion and he had given her one). Or like crying.

"Rin..." he only managed to say. What else could he say after that?

She answered with a quiet sniffle and another rush of unrelenting tears. Unsure of what to do, Sesshomaru resorted to an old ritual he used to do when young Rin had nightmares in the middle of the night. He grasped her slender arm, but she tried to pull away, protesting weakly against his imperious strength. He patiently waited for her to stop her futile attempts of yanking away and when she did to dedicate the rest of her energy into outright sobbing, Sesshomaru easily picked her up and gathered her into his right arm, a skill that he accomplished during the years of the absence of his left. With the crying woman cradled to his chest, he moved to the back of the room, where it was furthest from the closed shoji doors leading to the hallway, and sat down, leaning on the wall.

He stroked her hair with his unoccupied left hand but Rin gave no notice as she tried to stifle her sobs although the tears kept on pouring. He was perplexed to what he should do otherwise so he simply decided to wait, hoping that her bouts of tearful hiccups would end soon.

It was then that he realized they were not quite alone.

*~*~*~*

"I came as soon as I heard Rin-chan had come. Are they still here?" Miroku whispered as quietly as he could.

An irritable "Sh!" was the only response he got from Inuyasha, whose furry ears were perked in his crouched position just around the corner of the hall where the room occupied by his brother and sister-in-law happened to be just a few meters away. Kagome, having succeeded in persuading Souchiro to go out and play, looked apprehensive and slightly guilty at participating in the eavesdropping, but her curiosity had always been a victorious master over her conscience; she was kneeling close to her husband who had a keener pair of ears that were trying to pick up the muffled sounds coming from behind the shut shoji doors.

"What were they fighting about now?" Miroku asked in a hushed voice.

"Shut up, Miroku!" Inuyasha hissed. "Damn it... Sesshomaru's mumbling, that bastard. Can't hear a goddamn thing."

"Inuyasha, stop swearing!" Kagome chided in an equally quiet voice. "Whatever the reason was, it must have been something important," she explained to the late-comer. "There was something about Rin-chan's voice- wait..." she paused, alarmed, when Rin's angry outburst disrupted the silence. Inuyasha perked his ears, his brows furrowing as he picked up a few words from his brother's snarl; Kagome and Miroku came closer, watching the hanyou's expression to see whether he had heard what was corresponding in the room. Silence, then a choked sob was heard through the doors.

"He made Rin-chan cry!" Kagome hissed indignantly.

"Bastard," Inuyasha muttered.

"Quite the savage," Miroku agreed with a solemn nod, always having been a firm believer that the worst crime a man could ever commit was making his woman cry.

"Didn't he make her cry enough already?" Kagome angrily muttered, her normally kind, dark eyes ablaze with fury. "What an inconsiderate-"

"-barbaric-" Miroku supplied.

"-selfish-"

"-sadistic-"

"-heartless-"

"-incorrigible-"

"-asshole," Inuyasha concluded.

"Must I forcibly remove you from your own home, hanyou?"

The sudden interruption of a cold voice from behind the closed doors froze all three eavesdroppers. Kagome blushed a deep red, cursing her lapse of stupidity that had had her believing her insensible mate's assurance that Sesshomaru possibly couldn't hear them if they were quiet enough. Miroku remained speechless, wondering whether Sesshomaru would let him keep his essential parts for the sake of the five or so more children he was planning to sire in the near future. Inuyasha, being the most brazen out of the three, recovered first from the guilt.

"Keh! At least I don't make my own woman cry!" he scoffed loudly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed indignantly, partly because what he had just said was totally not true (she couldn't even keep track of the times she had sobbed over his indecisiveness in the past) but mainly because he was being so obnoxious.

"Excuse us, Onii-san," Kagome murmured, now positive that Sesshomaru could hear her. She then gave her husband's ear a sharp tug and ignoring his hiss of pain, she practically dragged him away and out of the house, followed hastily by Miroku.

*~*~*~*

Much after the trio had shuffled away, Rin's sobs eventually quieted down to occasional sniffles which were muffled by his now tear-stained attire. His obstinately silent, little mate refused to let him touch her in any other way at first, having made her refusal clear by roughly pushing his coaxing hands away; but in the end she grew tired of brooding and a relieved Sesshomaru was finally able to gently stroke her hair as she absentmindedly passed the time staring at her hands.

The sun rose higher into the sky but even when it reached its highest peak, Rin refused to speak and Sesshomaru dared not to initiate any conversation lest she would break down again.

"Why, Sesshomaru-sama?" Her voice was extremely soft but he heard it as clear as bells. And yet he didn't answer, silence having sealed his lips as the dreaded question was again asked.

"Sesshomaru-sama..." Rin tried again, trying to push back the fresh rush of tears threatening to topple over the dam of sheer will, "Why won't you let me?"

"This is for your own-"

"No, it's not," she stubbornly cut off. "It's not... Please just let me, Sesshomaru-sama... Please..?"

_Risky improbable death loss choice imprudent he was being selfish so terribly_ _selfish - _"This matter needs no further discussion, Rin."

"Yes it does," she fiercely argued, looking up to glare at him squarely in the eye. "I should know the reason behind your decision, which was made without my opinion whatsoever although the matter concerns me, Sesshomaru-sama."

_So childish, the cold inuyoukai lord, son of the great Inunotaisho. So very very childish -_ "As your lord and mate-"

"No, Sesshomaru-sama!" Rin cut off tearfully, her eyes having lost the battle to the overwhelming longing. Her pale, small hands held his face close to hers as she whispered onto his lips, "I(italics) need to make this decision."

_Will require a miracle for her smiles can't save her again not twice not twice not even with his cynical mother's necklace -_ "No."

"Sesshomaru-sama, please!" she sobbed. His chest clenched uncomfortably as the tip of his nose caught her bitterly salty tears. "Why? Why are you not letting me?"

_So selfish so selfish so incredibly unbelievably selfish -_

"Tell me, Sesshomaru-sama!"

_He shouldn't tell her she would hate him forever she would think him selfish so very very selfish- he was not going to say it he knows he shouldn't..!_

"Sesshomaru-sama! Please!"

His eyes flashed a dangerous red as his powerful hands snatched her upper arms in a vice grip. "I will not," he managed to snarl before his reason reined in his lashing frustration. Rin's defiant look was still there but the slight quiver of her irises gave away her fear. Sesshomaru calmed himself immediately, releasing his grip to slide his hands down her arms until they found her own to hold and forced his eyes to return to its normal golden hue.

Suddenly feeling weary from having unleashed his coiling frustration, he rested his forehead against hers and breathed, "I refuse to lose you... For something so trivial."

The words, the mantra that had been so deeply etched onto his mind for days, had slipped out.

"Rin..."

Her dark eyes looked up, fresh tears marking her already stained cheeks. He looked tired in some way as he gingerly brought her into his embrace, guiding her head to wearily rest on his broad shoulder.

"The goteni said...." he paused but quickly decided not to tell her the worst- the truth. "It would be difficult for you. The procedure will be nothing but discomfort, constant exhaustion... Pain."

Rin didn't answer, but her eyes were cast down in thoughtful contemplation. Silence followed. They heard a mound of snow slide off the branch of a tree in the garden with a soft thud.

"I will not have you going through such a torturing process," he growled as he tightened his arms around her. "Do you not think that you have already suffered enough in this life time? Bearing children with youki demands great stamina and build, both of which you do not possess."

He felt her tighten her hold on the soft material of his kimono but she didn't protest.

"I only wish for you to be safe," he murmured into her hair.

Silence followed with a last sniffle.

"Rin... Do you understand?"

It was then that his human mate leaned backwards to face him. Her eyes were slightly red from all the crying but the tears were gone and she was regarding him with a look that he couldn't quite interpret. He waited for her to speak but she merely blinked her wide cinnamon eyes as she continued staring at him.

"Well?" He finally broke the silence.

Her eyes looked disheartened and her lips formed were slightly pursed. "Sesshomaru-sama..."

He waited.

"I don't care."

The words that followed were not exactly what he had been expecting.

Ah, now her expression changed from that unfathomable look to a face he recognized well. That little wrinkle between her furrowed brows, the defiant glare, that angry pout... It was her rebellious face, the one he had seen thirty-one times over the relatively short time span they were mated.

Oh, he had raised her into a little spoiled princess. The unwavering obedience had diminshed with her tendencies to tie her hair into that adorable pigtail. Gone was the girl who used to stop in mid-stride when he told her to be still. In place was a woman, independent and resolute, but he knew he had no one else to blame; those very traits that had been the cause of his constant spiffs with his once docile mate mirrored himself. How the court would laugh when they heard about this! The same ruthless taiyoukai who had once slain an entire village for trivial insolence was allowing himself being wrapped around a little human female's finger.

But it wasn't any female. It was Rin.

Her rebellious expression was going away. Her eyes softened as her long lashes hid her cinnamon irises from his view and her head inclined downwards to stare at her hands.

"Sesshomaru-sama..." Rin whispered dolefully. "Don't you want Rin to be happy..?"

Oh, no. She was using that "don't you want me to be happy?" line he was too familiar with. He knew from past experience that if he answered the affirmative, the argument would be tipped towards her favor... But then what else is he supposed to say? No?

"I want you to be safe," he firmly answered.

"And happy?"

A minute muscle in his jaw stiffened as he regarded her with a sterner look. "Rin... This will not make you happy."

"Yes, it will, Sesshomaru-sama." Her eyes were clear, hardened with determination yet soft with earnest yearning. A small, soft hand slipped into his larger, calloused one as she leaned upwards and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"It will make Rin..." she murmured onto his lips. Light brown eyes lifted upwards in that hopeful, coy way she knew very well he adored. "Very happy."

By now Sesshomaru knew the victor of the argument.

How ironic that he had claimed moments before that her life was entirely his when it was clearly the other way around. For an infamous youkai known for his ruthlessness, he could barely lift a claw to this petite, fragile, _mortal_ woman. If it was in his nature, Sesshomaru would have given a cynical snort at the thought.

A pale hand, the lethal claws curled away from Rin's smooth skin, gently wiped the remaining traces of her sorrow. Rin looked expectantly at Sesshomaru, waiting patiently as he took his time wiping her tears. He regarded her with his expressionless mask.

"This Sesshomaru... Will give it more thought."

He merely wrapped his arms around her delicate frame when she responded by leaning into his embrace, overwhelmed with joyful release.

"Don't cry, Rin," he muttered into her hair when he caught the scent of fresh tears. She nodded meekly into his shoulder and obliged after one last sniffle. "We shall return to the castle."

She felt him get up with her securely perched on his right arm and saw that he was heading out to the snow covered garden. Ah-Un tentatively poked a head from behind the trunk of an ume tree that barely hid its massive bulk and warily stared at its master, who only needed to give a silent nod to have the two-headed dragon youkai ambling towards him. When Ah-Un got close, Rin tried to pull away to get onto the saddle, but stopped when she heard a low growl from her mate. Instantly understanding his intentions, Rin wrapped her arms around his neck just in time as Sesshomaru leapt high into the air and sped towards his domain in the sky, Ah-Un following closely behind.

As he felt Rin burying her face into his neck, Sesshomaru felt a tiny wave of relief now that he had satisfied at least one woman who was previously upset with him.

Now he just had his mother to deal with.

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for the patience and wonderful reviews! To the reviewer _Linguistic_: I have incorporated your review in this chapter; find it if you can ;) _Reviews_ for this chapter - dedicated to Rumiko Takahashi and the anime team who made Inuyasha The Final Act episode 9 - will be very much appreciated. I shall be back with the second chapter... Soon enough :x


End file.
